STS203: History of Technology

Unit 9: Challenges and ReflectionsAs industrialization continues to spread throughout the Middle East and
Asia, our terminology may shift to refer to the North/South hemispheric
split rather than the East/West division. The most important
technological developments today have global reach; consider computers
and the Internet. The more tentative union of science and technology
that emerged in the 19th century is now a tighter amalgam
that some call technoscience. Technoscience refers to experimentation
that requires massive technological infrastructure, such as scientific
research conducted in space. Notwithstanding these advancements,
criticism of technological progress has become more organized and
professional, especially in the fields of biotech, nuclear power,
energy, and environmental studies.

This unit provides a snapshot of technology in the present day, paying
particular attention to energy, medicine, and computers. Complex
socio-technical systems (networks of humans, machines, and institutions)
are quite obvious in these fields. These topics also underscore how
certain technologies have become global matters today that raise ethical
and philosophical questions concerning the environment, human and civil
rights, and humanity in general. Science and Technology Studies (STS)
offers new perspectives on technology, such as feminist approaches and
Actor-Network Theory.

Unit 9 Time Advisory
This unit should take you approximately 20.75 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 9.1: 5.75 hours
☐ Subunit 9.1.1: 1.5 hours

☐ Subunit 9.1.2: 0.5 hours

☐ Subunit 9.1.3: 3.75 hours

☐ Subunit 9.2: 3.5 hours

☐ Subunit 9.3: 3.5 hours

☐ Subunit 9.4: 4.25 hours
☐ Subunit 9.4.1: 2.5 hours

☐ Subunit 9.4.2: 1.75 hours

☐ Subunit 9.5: 3.75 hours

Unit9 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
- identify major fossil fuels;
- discuss and analyze arguments for and arguments against natural gas;
- discuss and analyze arguments for and arguments against nuclear
power;
- explain major ethical challenges of modern medical technology;
- explain feminist interpretations of modern technology;
- explain Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory;
- explain the significance of Mars to the scientific community;
- explain how CERN’s Supercollider contributed to the Standard Model;
- explain the technical and organizational causes of the Challenger
disaster;
- identify major steps in the history of computing;
- describe a case in which social media had political significance;
- explain and identify examples of a major cyber threat; and
- identify Ray Kurzweil’s predictions.

9.1 Energy and the Environment9.1.1 The Historical Context
- Reading: San Diego State University’s World History for Us All:
“Environmental Change: The Great Acceleration, 1900-1950”
Link: San Diego State University’s World History for Us All:
“Environmental Change: The Great Acceleration,
1900-1950” (PDF)

Instructions: Click on the link above, scroll down to the bottom of
the webpage to locate the title (“Environmental Change: The Great
Acceleration”), and click on the “Complete Teaching Unit PDF Format”
link to download the PDF. Read “The Historical Context” (pages 3-7),
and study the charts and graphs for “Using Charts and Graphs as
Evidence of Environmental Change” (pages 11-28). Pay close attention
to the technology changes involved and major trends in energy use.
For example, notice China’s massive recent turn to coal, Saudi
Arabia’s importance in oil production, the Soviet Union (and Russian
Republic’s) stake in natural gas, and how dominant a prime mover the
internal combustion engine has become.

Reading, studying the charts and graphs, and note-taking should
take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Click on the link above, and watch this talk by
energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens, who argues that natural gas is the
most viable alternative to coal in America. Be sure to listen to the
question/response at the end. Take notes on the major arguments for
natural gas. You may also read along with the transcript by clicking
on the transcript drop down menu and choosing your preferred
language.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instruction: Click on the link above, and view this debate on
nuclear energy. Take notes on the major arguments for both sides.
You may also read along with the transcript by clicking on the
transcript drop down menu and choosing your preferred language.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 45 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Read these two detailed accounts of nuclear reactor
meltdowns (one in the United States in 1979 and one in the Soviet
Union in 1986) by an organization generally favorable to nuclear
power. You do not need to remember the technical details behind
these disasters, but focus on the importance of the cooling systems,
the health and environmental concerns surrounding radioactive
exposure, and changes in the industry as a result of these
experiences. The Fukushima disaster in Japan (2011) is another stark
reminder of the dangers of nuclear power generation.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 3 hours.

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Instructions: Click on the link above, locate the link at lower
right titled “Download Free Teacher Content Primer,” and select the
link to open the PDF file. First, study the graphic on page xi for a
good look at the socio-technical system surrounding these
technologies, and then read Section 1 that follows (pages 1-19). Pay
close attention to advances of the 20th century, ethical
concerns, social impacts, and the diffusion and transfer of medical
technology.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 3 hours.

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Instructions: Click on the link above, and view the entire video.
Wolpe discusses controversial bioengineering projects such as
cloning and robotic insects and animals. As you view this video,
think about which (if any) projects you find morally objectionable,
and why. You may also read along with the transcript by clicking on
the transcript drop down menu and choosing your preferred
language.

Viewing the video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Click on the link above, and watch the entire video.
Physicist Brian Cox at CERN discusses the Large Hadron Collider, in
search for the Higgs Boson – discovered in 2012. Notice the size of
the Collider and how the research would contribute to the Standard
Model.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Click on the link above, and view the entire video.
The Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab explains the Mars Rover
and other projects. Pay close attention to the unforeseen challenges
of conducting research on Mars, and what about the planet holds most
interest to the scientific community. The latest Rover (Curiosity)
landed successfully on Mars on August 6, 2012. You may read along
with the transcript by selecting the transcript in your preferred
language from the drop down menu.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 45 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Note that this resource contains graphic
material. Watching this video is optional. On January 28, 1986, the
Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during liftoff, killing all
astronauts on board. What was the cause of this engineering
disaster? In the reading below, you will see that the answer was not
as simple as one might think.

Watching this video should take approximately 15 minutes.

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Instructions: Click on the link above, and read Chapters 4-6.
Notice that a technical problem concerning the O-rings was the major
cause of the accident, but the report entertains the decision-making
process between management and engineers, workplace pressures, and
the history of the O-ring issue – matters we might label
“structural” or “organizational” rather than technical. The disaster
becomes a case-study in the “socio-technical system” (subunit 7.3.1)
that surrounded the space shuttle.

Reading and note taking should take approximately 2 hours.

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9.4 Computers and the Internet9.4.1 History of Computing
- Reading: The Open University: Mike Richard’s “The Birth of Modern
Computing”
Link: The Open University: Mike Richard’s “The Birth of Modern
Computing” (HTML)

Instructions: Click on the link above, and read this short account
of the history of computing. Pay particular attention to Conrad Zuse
and the context of World War II.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 30 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: This reading is a detailed history of the Internet
from the 1960s to the present day. The authors are some of the
computer engineers who were themselves participants in that history.
In particular, focus on the following sections: “Introduction,”
“Origins of the Internet,” “Formation of the Broad Community,” and
“History of the Future.” You do not need to remember the technical
details of this history, but note the role of the US Department of
Defense (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA)
and other major institutions, organizations, and universities. Also,
take note of the coining of the word ‘Internet.’

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 2 hours.

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Instructions: Click on the link above, and watch this talk on
social media in the U.S. and abroad. Pay attention to what is most
unique about contemporary media technology by comparison to prior
communications breakthroughs. Also, note the political influence
that media technology is having in China and the United States. You
may read the transcript as you watch the video by selecting your
preferred language to view the transcript from the drop down menu.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take
approximately 30 minutes.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Council on Foreign Relations is an American think
tank that advances U.S. national interests. Click on the link above,
and read this article for an introduction to the major issues in
cybersecurity today and the efforts by the U.S. government to
contain the threat. Pay close attention to the various kinds of
cyber threats, the major nations involved, and most recent U.S.
Cybersecurity Policy under President Obama.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 1 hour.

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displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Click on the link above, and view this video on the
means through which individuals, corporations, and governments
acquire information from computer users without their consent. Take
notes on the three types of online attack, paying special attention
to how governments infringe on the privacy of their citizens.

Watching this video and note-taking should take about 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Click on the link above, and read this paper on the
gender and feminist analysis of modern technology. Pay close
attention to the four topics in the discipline of informatics:
computers, information, programming, and computer games.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 2 hours.

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Instructions: In prior units, we have used the concept of
socio-technical system to explain technology in society (subunit
7.5). Now, we will introduce a more recent theory, developed
especially by philosopher Bruno Latour. His Actor-Network Theory
(ANT) is one way to avoid the twin extremes of technological
determinism (see subunit 3.1.3) and social constructivism, or the
notion that social forces drive all technological changes. Latour
does not believe that technologies and other “non-human actors” are
fundamentally distinct from humans and society. As you will see in
this reading, a “network” unites human and non-human actors. Click
on the link above to access this introduction to ANT. You should
leave the reading with a basic idea of what ANT is, based on
concrete examples.

Reading and note-taking should take approximately 1 hour.

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Instructions: Author and inventor Ray Kurzweil believes that our
most cutting-edge technologies are transforming the world. His more
controversial claim is that these changes are in fact predictable.
Listen to this talk and take notes on how Kurzweil predicts the
future of particular technologies. Which of his predictions do you
find reasonable, and which (if any) do you find unlikely?

Listening to the lecture, note-taking, and answering the question
above should take approximately 45 minutes.

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Instructions: Complete the linked assessment.
You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in
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will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the
link.